Dreamworld
by snowflakepigeon923
Summary: A strange girl with a unique ability appears. Easter is very eager to explore what her powers could mean to their search for the Embryo. Will Ikuto be able to save her from Easter's plans?


Chapter 1: This isn't My Idea

* * *

><p>Ikuto Tsukiyomi could not suppress the sigh of annoyance he let out. He never wanted to be in this position; trapped and helpless, unable to do anything or protect his sister. He wished he could at least save his sister, even if it meant even less of an escape for him. He had to admire his step-father's brilliance for playing their emotions like that. He knew that Utau would never give up on Ikuto's freedom anymore than Ikuto could give up on Utau's freedom. Both were trapped quite thoroughly. None of them would ever be free because they would both keep sacrificing themselves until their lives were forfeit. Ikuto stuck his hands in his pockets and walked away from the office.<p>

"Man, that jerk, nyah" a flying blue cat exclaimed suddenly. "One of these days, we'll be free and show him a thing or two, nyah! Right, Ikuto?"

"Yoru," Ikuto said calmly, and the cat creature floated closer in anticipation of his owner's words. "I know you want our freedom, too, but we have to play along until we find it."

"But Ikuto, even if we do find it, how could we stop them from using it first, nyah," Yoru asked hesitantly, not wanting to offend Ikuto.

"Don't worry about that, Yoru. I'll figure it out," the boy reassured the cat, but there was a lack of emotion behind the words. However, the cat seemed happy and began to smile. He floated along by Ikuto's shoulder. They hadn't gotten far when the strange cat suddenly perked up.

"Ikuto, you feel that, nyah," Yoru demanded excitedly. "I feel something really strong, but it's not an X-Egg or a Guardian Egg!"

"Take me to it, Yoru," the teen said, suddenly giving off an intense energy. _Maybe this will be it. Maybe I'll find it today_ he thought hopefully. Yoru led the way as they sped through the building. They came to the entrance of the corporation's headquarters.

"It's getting stronger, Ikuto! It's right around the corner," Yoru said in excitement, pointing to the corner of the street. Ikuto sped up, hoping against everything that fate would favor him for once. Surely all the pain and trials had been leading up to some great reward. He had to believe that there was some justice in life. However, as soon as he turned the corner, he crashed into something hard and fell face down. It took a moment to realize that he had knocked someone down and was currently laying on top of that person.

Although an observer would think the boy was completely unaffected but knocking someone down, it seemed the floating cat was expressing the boy's true feelings. Yoru was floating back and forth in a panic. Ikuto got up with a groan after a moment, and realized to his embarrassment that it was a girl he had knocked down.

"What are we gonna do, Ikuto, nyah? The presence I felt is gone, nyah! And this girl's bleeding, nyah," Yoru said, becoming increasingly fussy.

"Calm down, Yoru," Ikuto said calmly, leaning over the girl who started stirring. "Easter and whatever you felt will have to wait. We have to get her help first."

"But Ikuto," the cat fussed, "if you leave now, won't your step-father be angry with you, nyah?"

"That can't be helped," Ikuto said calmly. He kneeled down next to the girl. It seemed she was not going to wake up anytime soon. Yoru still seemed hesitant, but allowed Iktuo to pick the girl up and carry her to help.

* * *

><p>Iktuo sat in the cheap plastic chair across form a recently vacated hospital bed. He couldn't help but wonder how he had gotten himself into this situation. It turned out that the girl he had saved might have a serious injury and the doctors wanted him to stick around in case they needed to ask him more questions after they did some tests. He sighed and rested his chin in his hand.<p>

He didn't have long to wait, however. It seemed that no sooner that he had sighed than people were rushing back into the room. The girl had woken up and seemed slightly dazed, but otherwise fine.

"Well, luckily the young man who knocked you down was kind enough to bring you here," one of the doctor's joked to Ikuto's embarrassment. The girl turned to face Ikuto and he was surprised. She had appeared to have all the traditional elements of Japanese appearance, but her eyes were an unusual cloud grey color. The pale grey color had a soft look, giving the girl an airy, dreamy quality.

"Thank you for taking care of me," she said in a voice as airy as her eyes.

"It's the least I could do," Ikuto said in embarrassment. "I'm Ikuto."

"Nice to meet you, Ikuto, I'm Ruri," the girl said with a slight bow. She seemed slightly dizzy from the action.

"You might not want to do that, miss. You're going to be dizzy for a while," the doctor said without really paying attention.

"Is there anything else I need to worry about," Ruri asked the doctor. It was clear that her mind was anything but airy.

"Your concussion is extremely minor, so concern is minimal. You should take it easy and rest a lot. But if you do fall asleep, someone should wake you up every few hours and ask questions. You might feel disoriented or confused. If you have trouble remembering things, especially new information, come back again. Otherwise, you'll be fine in a day or two," the doctor said.

"Thank you very much, sir," Ruri said before they left. They walked through the hospital in an awkward silence. It wasn't until they got out of the hospital that the silence broke. They stood outside of the exit, and Ikuto turned to face Ruri. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down towards her. It was odd for Ikuto because they were just about the same height.

"Do you have a place to go," he asked her. "I'll walk you wherever you need to get."

"I should go back and see Uncle," Ruri muttered, reaching for a cell phone.

"Alright, where is he," Ikuto asked, watching Ruri dial a number.

"Oh, it's just back where I was before the concussion," Ruri said as she held the phone up to her ear. "He's in charge of that big corporation."

Ikuto's stomach dropped. "Your uncle is in charge of Easter?"

"Well he's actually he's my Father's friend, but he asked me to call him Uncle. He wants me to take a summer job there, why? Do you work there," Ruri asked as if Ikuto doubted the sky was blue.

"In a way, my mom's family started the company and the managing director is my stepdad," Ikuto said. It was hard to imagine Gozen doing favors or having friends. He had a very bad feeling about this.

Ruri nearly dropped her phone. "Tsukiyomi Ikuto," she asked softly.

"How do you know that," Ikuto asked suspiciously and even Yoru seemed to get on his guard.

"They told me about you; the managing director's delinquent son. The one who they took pity on after his father abandoned him and the company, but was always ungrateful. I'm supposed to work with you," Ruri said backing away.

Ikuto could feel the rage boiling up inside him. Yoru was floating around, yelling like crazy. "That's a lie," Ikuto seethed.

"How's it a lie," Ruri asked, looking straight into Ikuto's blue eyes.

"It's complicated," Ikuto said hesitantly. "But I'm not at Easter because of their kindness."

But just when Ikuto stopped talking, whoever was on the other end of the phone answered. "Hello, its Ruri," the girl said into the phone. "Yes, I'm sorry, but I got delayed." There was a brief pause and Ruri gave a suspicious glance at Ikuto.

"Yes, I'm standing right in front of him, actually," she said. She seemed thoroughly confused as she handed Ikuto the phone.

"He wants to talk to you," Ruri explained.

"Hello," Ikuto said awkwardly into the phone. It was odd to think that he was talking to some he had hardly ever met before.

"Tsukiyomi Ikuto, you have thirty seconds to explain what happened," threatened Gozen. Ikuto quickly explained the events of the day and assured his boss that everything was fine now. There was a brief pause as the head of Easter processed this information.

"You had best not be lying to me, Tsukiyomi. I assure you that you will regret it. Now you are going to fix this and prove your loyalty. You are to make sure she heals completely and return her to Easter Headquarters when she is capable of assisting the search for the Embryo," Gozen ordered before hanging up.

"What did he want," Ruri asked, looking at Ikuto curiously.

"He ordered me to take care of you until you're ready to start work," Ikuto said.

"On the search," Ruri asked.

"You know about it," Ikuto asked in disbelief.

"Well, I know I'm helping look for something," the girl admitted, "but no one's told me what it is. All I know is that I can somehow help."

Ikuto looked at the girl in concern. It was bad enough she was connected to people from Easter, but now they were recruiting her. There was only the slightest chance that it wouldn't be too late for her not to end up like him.

"Look, we better get you someplace you can rest like the doctor wants," Ikuto said before leading the way back to his house.

* * *

><p>The house wasn't anything impressive, but it was maintained well. Almost every surface in the house was spotless. The furnishings were simple, but went together well.<p>

"Your house is nice," Ruri said softly, looking around the immaculate space.

Ikuto fought the urge to roll his eyes. "My mom's a super neat freak. She can't stand things being out of order."

"My parents are the same way; it drives me insane," Ruri said, following Ikuto through the house, taking in his family's taste. The most surprising was when they reached Ikuto's room.

"You don't spend hardly any time in here, do you," Ruri asked.

"How can you tell," Ikuto asked, slightly unnerved how she could tell. Was it really that obvious?

"I can tell because there aren't any personalizations. Everything in here is generalized," Ruri explained. Ikuto looked around the room, realizing that what Ruri had said was true. It was surprising how observant this girl was.

"Alright," Ikuto said feeling awkward, "I'm going to let you get some rest while you can. I'll check in on you in a little bit. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you. Sorry to intrude," Ruri said, equally as awkward.

* * *

><p>When Ikuto knocked on the door a few hours later, he wasn't surprised when there wasn't an answer. He let himself into the room. Ruri had curled up in Ikuto's bed on top of the covers. Ikuto walked over to her side and shook her awake gently.<p>

"Ruri? Ruri, wake up," he said softly. Her eyelids fluttered before she slowly woke up.

"What is it? Why did you wake me up," she asked groggily.

"Because the doctor said to, remember," Ikuto asked as Ruri rubbed her eyes.

"Right, because of the concussion," she groaned.

"Do you know where you are," Ikuto asked, trying to catch her eye.

"Um, I'm not sure, but I remember it's your house," she mumbled. Ikuto nodded, apparently satisfied.

"Are you feeling alright? Do you want me to get you anything," he asked. Ruri rubbed her head as she thought about it.

"Um, just some water," the girl said softly. Ikuto got a water bottle from the kitchen and returned as fast as he could. He twisted the lid off as he walked in.

"Here you go," Ikuto said and offered the water to her.

"Thank you," she said. She took the water and drank it quickly.

"Would you like more," Ikuto asked. He found it oddly comforting to be looking after someone. He guessed it came from all those years of playing the big brother/baby sitter to Utau and Tadase.

"No, thank you. I think I just want to sleep," Ruri said with a yawn.

"Alright. I'll let you rest," Ikuto said, standing up. "And, you know, you can get under the sheets, I don't mind you using my bed." Ikuto flashed a flirty smile over his shoulder and caught Ruri blushing deeply. Yoru laughed loudly at the expression on Ruri's face. It looked like she was going to be fun to tease.

* * *

><p>The pattern continued for the next several hours. By the time it was one o'clock in the morning, Ikuto was exhausted. He was sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed. He was willing himself to stay awake as long as he could. He knew that Ruri was doing perfectly fine, but he couldn't risk it. He knew there would be hell to pay if the girl so much as stubbed a toe on his watch.<p>

"Ikuto, what are you still doing here," Ruri asked suddenly and Ikuto nearly jumped out of his skin.

"I'm keeping an eye on you like I'm supposed to," he muttered.

"You sound exhausted," Ruri said and began to run her fingers through the silky blue hair.

"'Cause I am," he sighed, feeling his eyelids close.

"Then go to sleep," she whispered, her fingers still following the curves in his hair. Ikuto groaned softly as he stretched his legs and arms. He had always loved when someone played with his hair.

"I can't believe how soft your hair is," she whispered as she started curling his hair.

"It's in the conditioning," Ikuto said, but it was hardly intelligible. He could feel himself falling asleep, but it was taking longer than usual.

Suddenly, he felt Ruri's hand leave his head. "Climb up," she said. Ikuto turned and saw she was sitting up on the far side of the bed. Ikuto raised his eyebrows questioningly at her.

"Are you sure about that? You don't seem the type to offer to share a bed with a guy," Ikuto asked, hoping to change her mind. Not that anything would happen between them, but he doubted Gozen would approve of him getting close to the new protégée. The head of Easter wasn't exactly his number one fan. He was constantly assigning the teenager babysitters like her. Then again, none of the other babysitters had been attractive girls like her. It didn't seem to be a good sign that they wanted her to work with him. It seemed like it might be another trick to chain him to Easter.

Ruri blushed, "Just get up here. Don't worry; I'll stay above the covers. I just don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Ikuto said hesitantly.

Ruri rolled her eyes, "Stop being a baby." Ikuto had to smile at that. He decided there wasn't much harm as long as it was a secret.

"On one condition; no one can find out," Ikuto said. "And if they do, it wasn't my idea."

"Of course," Ruri said with a smile. Ikuto got up and lay down under the covers next to Ruri. Her hand found its way to his hair again and he fell asleep almost immediately.

* * *

><p>When Ruri awoke, she was surprised to find herself staring at the sleeping blue-haired boy. He looked so peaceful as he slept. A little bit of his hair feel into his face and one section had actually stuck to his open lips. She could feel his hot breath on her face. Despite the panic she felt at waking up next to a strange boy, she found it strangely relaxing to watch the handsome boy sleep. She couldn't explain how, but it seemed that he didn't relax when he was awake. She put her hand on his cheek. His groaned and shifted a little in his sleep. She stroked the side of his face gently. The sleeping boy then moved in closer and started sleeping on her arm. Surprised by the sudden movement, Ruri sprang up. Ikuto woke up and stared up at her in groggy confusion.<p>

"What happened," Ikuto asked with a yawn. He stretched out, trying to wake up.

"Sorry, you just surprised me. I wasn't expecting for you to get so close," she said softly.

"Oh, sorry. I just, um, wanted to get warm," Ikuto said, rubbing his eyes.

"You were cold," Ruri asked. She was finally allowing herself to feel calm.

"Not really, but you were warmer than anything else," Ikuto said as he lay back down and closed his eyes.

"But how did you know that when you were asleep," she asked in confusion.

"My body could sense it; my temperature was probably too low in the state of rest, so it wanted to raise the temperature. It felt a warm source- you- and decided to get close to it," Ikuto said, half opening his eyes.

"You're lying," Ruri said, but she couldn't help smiling. "You're just some perverted teenage boy who thought he could get lucky." Ikuto smiled back, finding it amusing to be teased.

"Hey, this wasn't my idea, remember? I'm just a boy who likes science and who's simply following orders," Ikuto teased, closing his eyes again. His eyes soon snapped open when he felt Ruri move closer.

"It's not a big deal to me, but please keep this between us," Ruri said softly. Not quite sure how to feel about what was happening; Ikuto just rested his head on Ruri's stomach.

* * *

><p>The next time Ikuto woke up, it was to the sound of a door slamming and a familiar shout of, "Ikutooooooooo!" ran through the house.<p>

Ikuto swore silently and jumped out of the bed. They would probably be killed if she found them like that. Then again, she might just kill them anyway.

"What was that," Ruri asked sounding like she had just woke up.

But before he could explain, Ikuto's door banged open and a beautiful girl with extremely long blonde hair burst in.

"IKUTO! YOU'RE HERE! YOU'RE _NEVER_ HERE! I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH," the girl exclaimed and flung herself onto Ikuto. Ikuto was knocked to the ground by the force.

"Utau," Ikuto groaned, trying to push the girl off of him. "Get off of me!"

"Did you miss me, Ikuto," the girl asked, looking directly at Ikuto with piercing blue eyes.

"No, Utau, I didn't miss you. How can I miss you when every time you see me you attack me," Ikuto asked exasperatedly. It was immediately evident that this was the wrong thing to say.

"You jerk," Utau yelled as she shook Ikuto fiercely. "How can you say that when you know I love you?" Ikuto opened up his mouth to protest, which was a mistake. Utau seized the opportunity to kiss Ikuto passionately.

Ikuto managed to push her off after a few seconds of struggling. "Utau! How many times do I have to tell you? I don't feel that way about you, and I never will. It's wrong to be attracted to me, Utau." He wiped his mouth, feeling sick. He always felt so defiled by Utau's attraction. He didn't want the attention she was giving him, but couldn't make her understand. He also felt embarrassed that she wasn't ashamed to violate him in front of people.

Utau sat on the floor and pouted. "I don't care, Ikuto. I love you, and one day you'll love me back." Suddenly, she spotted Ruri sitting on Ikuto's bed in a confused and stunned silence.

"Who's that," Utau asked softly, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Because I know you wouldn't get a girlfriend."

"Um, sorry. I'm Ruri. I'm just a friend of your, um, boyfriend," Ruri said. She tried to push past the extreme awkwardness of the situation.

"What are you doing here," Utau asked with the slightest trace of a threat.

"I'm starting at Easter, and Gozen asked me to stay here," Ruri said blushing.

"No, Ruri, don't explain. Utau is not my girlfriend. She's my sister," Ikuto said with a scolding glance at Utau.

"Your sister," Ruri asked in confusion. It made no sense for Utau to act that way towards her brother. Ruri looked at the pouting Utau. The blonde made no attempt to contradict him, so Ruri had to accept it as the truth.

"Yes. Now, Utau, apologize to Ruri for being rude," Ikuto said in a scolding tone.

Utau continued pouting, "I don't want to."

"Utau," Ikuto said threateningly.

Utau threw a dirty look at Ikuto before turning to Ruri. "I'm sorry for being rude, Ruri," Utau said meekly.

"It's alright," Ruri said. She took a look at Utau and had an odd sense that she knew Utau from somewhere. "Wait; are you Hoshina Utau, the pop idol Hoshina Utau?"

"Yes, I am," Utau said suspiciously. Somehow Utau's iciness in person wasn't surprising. She had always seemed cold in her videos and posters.

"I'm sorry; I'm just a huge fan of your work. I loved your _Meikyuu Butterfly_ single. It was amazing," Ruri said excitedly before bowing. "It's an honor to meet you."

"Thank you," Utau said and seemed awkward.

Ruri stared at Utau. She felt like she was seeing the true Utau, but she couldn't explain how.

"You hate being known like this," Ruri whispered. "You love to sing, but lately it feels wrong. Your dream feels broken."

Utau's eyes widened and focused on Ruri, not believing what she was saying. "How do you know that," Utau asked.

"Ikuto, it's the presence I felt before, nyah," Yoru exclaimed in a panicked excitement.

"You aren't being true to yourself," Ruri continued sadly. "You want to find your own song and sing it with all your heart. But you also want freedom; you feel that you and your loved ones are trapped, and only you can save them."

"Ikuto, what's going on," Utau asked, obviously frightened. Ikuto was as lost as Utau was; he had no idea what was going on.

"The angel and the devil," Ruri said softly. Ikuto and Utau suddenly looked at the devil and angel figures hovering near Utau like Yoru did for Ikuto. The dark haired girl shook her head and groaned.

"I'm sorry," Ruri said. "I must have dozed-" Ruri suddenly stopped and her eyes widened in panic. "What-what's with those things floating by Utau?"

"What do you see," Ikuto asked, kneeling by her side.

"This is crazy, but there's an angel and a devil by Utau, like they put in cartoons when someone needs to choose between right and wrong," Ruri said, staring at Utau.

"She can see my Guardians," Utau asked in shock.

"It sounds like she can, and she can see why they were born, too," Ikuto said looking at Ruri as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

"But not Yoru," Utau asked.

"What are you talking about? What's going on," Ruri asked.

"I think we just found the reason why Easter wants you so bad," Ikuto said. Ikuto stared at Ruri, not sure what to do. This was the worst thing that could happen to her. She wasn't a trap at all, but rather being led to her own trap. And once she got in, there was no getting out.


End file.
